CCHR concerned about Dey Kraham village incident

04 December 2007
By Mayarith Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Today, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) expressed its concerns that the violent incident where villagers in Dey Kraham pelted rock on a truck transporting a bulldozer, will lead to the arrests of the Dey Kraham villagers, located in Tonle Bassac district, Phnom Penh city.

CCHR issued a statement today, indicating that it does not support the destruction of the properties belonging to others.

CCHR added that, based on its investigation, the incident which resulted from the parking of a truck and the use of violence yesterday, could in fact be a provocation to violence and it could serve as pretext by the (7NG) company to arrest the villagers.

CCHR requests that that proper justice must be rendered in this incident which led the villagers to pelt rocks yesterday, the smashing of the truck windshield, and the fleeing of the truck driver.

Nevertheless, up until yesterday evening, there is no report on arrest made against anyone in particular due to this violent clash yet.

Cambodian intifada?

Dey Kraham villagers oppose plan to evict them

04 November 2007
By Khim Sarang
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Dey Kraham villagers living along the riverbank in Phnom Penh city had opposed the plan by the 7NG company to evict them from their villages and turning their lands into a park.

Last night, a truck carrying a bulldozer was pelted with rocks by the villagers, shattering its windshield. However, the violence did not go beyond this after the truck and bulldozer drivers fled out of their vehicles.

RFA’s Khim Sarang is talking to Chan Soveth, a representative of the Adhoc human rights group and also a member of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) on this issue, last night.

Khim Sarang (RFA): What happens today in Dey Kraham area?

Chan Soveth (CS): This evening, a large bulldozer was brought in by a truck belonging to the 7NG company. They were about to back up to drop off (the bulldozer) when the villagers pelted them (with rocks). These villagers are not adults, they are mainly kids. These kids were the ones who pelted rocks and smashed the bulldozer’s windshield.

I asked the villagers in that area, they said that the bulldozer arrived at 6:45PM. As soon as they arrived, they threatened the villagers saying that they will clear their lands to turn them into a park, and if any houses are on their way, they will tear down those houses. That was why the villagers did not allow the bulldozer to be taken off the truck, because if they are taken off the truck, problems will occur.

All the villagers from the Dey Kraham village came to look at the bulldozer. The driver was starting its engine, and was about to back it out the truck, but before it got out, the villagers pelted the bulldozer driver with large pieces of rock. The driver fled from the scene. The 7NG company complained to the cops claiming that the villagers were destroying its properties, and the lawsuit could reach the tribunal tomorrow. The tribunal could issue warrants soon to arrest all those involved in the destruction of other’s properties.

When we asked the company, it claims that the truck was just turning there, and it didn’t have any intention to unload the bulldozer. In their complaint, they said that they brought the bulldozer there to repair, and the bulldozer cannot enter the city until nighttime. I believe that if they have to enter the city at nighttime, that’s fine, but why did they come to turn there, there are a lot of roads (nearby), why don’t they turn elsewhere, why did they come to park here. That was the reason why the villagers told them not to unload the bulldozer there, if the company unloads it they will pelted it with rocks. Therefore, the children living there were scared, they resorted to using violence.

RFA: How many families live in this village?

CS: In Dey Kraham, there are about 400 families, but if you add those who fled, there are almost 500 families.

RFA: During the incident, how many people were there?

CS: The villagers who came out amounted to almost 200 people, most of those who came out were young teenager boys.

RFA: Did the authority come to tell the villagers anything?

CS: Up until now, we didn’t see any officials coming here, but we saw a group from the UN organization, we saw a UN representative arriving, and there were a lot of reporters who came to take pictures during the rock pelting. Right now, the villagers are broadcasting a recorded interview of Samdach Prime mininter (Hun Sen) talking about leaving the villagers to live as is, and develop the region on their own without any change. The villagers are broadcasting the prime minister’s message to inform the villagers and the authority to know (about Hun Sen’s decision).

RFA: Before they came to clear the land, were the villagers informed?

CS: Regarding this issue, the district and commune authorities, and in particular, the (7NG) company issued an announcement to the villagers that the ultimatum date (for the eviction) was the 15th of November.

As a member of the civil society, of the Adhoc organization, and especially, as a CHRAC representative, we think that, even though the 7NG company had prepared a location to move the villagers to, but the quick pace of the eviction does not please the villagers, because, (at the new location), there is no development whatsoever, there is only one hole for them with a 4-by-10-meter house. The villagers don’t know what they can do to earn a living there, it’s located about 20-kilometer from the city in Dangkoa district. Therefore the villagers said that they cannot live there, there is nothing for them to do to earn a living.

If the new area is located near Phnom Penh, at least they can to work, or sell their shellfish catching etc…, or else work as cyclo driver, motodoup driver, it would be easier for them to earn a living and their children can attend schools nearby, but to send them there (in Dangkoa district), it’s like sending them to jail.

Three Injured as Villagers Stone, Torch Demolition Equipment [-Hun Sen's predicted revolution in the work]

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Origianl report from Phnom Penh
04 December 2007

Three people were injured Monday, one of them seriously, when a mob of villagers threw stones at a construction crew they say were intent on destroying their homes.

The injured were a local village official and two bystanders, witnesses said, but their identities were not known.

A representative of the construction company 7NG said Tuesday a large truck carrying a bulldozer on a trailer broke down in front of a village in Chamkarmon district, Phnom Penh, whose residents began throwing stones at the crew.

Villagers say the crew was in the process of unloading the bulldozer, a common piece of demolition equipment in the growing problem of land grabs across Cambodia.

Rights investigator Chhim Savuth, of the Cambodia Center for Human Rights, said a truck towing a bulldozer had stopped in front of the village and appeared to be backing up in preparation for unloading.

"The villagers alleged that it would destroy their homes," he said. "Hundreds of villagers set fire to tires and threw rocks on the equipment that was about to go down, resulting in broken glass, but the driver escaped injuries."

Srey Sothea, president of 7NG, said the company was not going to have anyone arrested. But he said the transportation of the equipment should not excuse "the intention to assault" shown by the villagers.

"Usually the destruction [of homes] is not my capacity," he said. "Daring to destroy 100 homes? How can we do it? It would require the participation of, the formation of, an appropriate coalition commission. Going alone without the knowledge of the authorities, not even a police officer would know about it."

Ung Poryou, a resident of the villager, said the stones were thrown by children, ages five to six, who were worried the company would take their parents' land.